Gas storage apparatus



March 10, 1953 w ALLEN GAS STORAGE APPARATUS Filed April 6, 1950 K TL N N m w zkw N A I H A 0 ll. JV. 5

Patented Mar. 10, 1953 GAS STORAGE APPARATUS John W. Allen, Chicago, 111., assignor to John H. Wiggins, Chicago, 111.

Application April 6, 1950, Serial No. 154,328

8 Claims.

This invention relates to gas holders of the general type in which the gas storage chamber comprises a stationary bottom portion, a vertically-movable top portion that is adapted to rise and fall relatively to said stationary bottom portion, so as to increase and decrease the volume of the gas storage chamber, and a sealing means for the space or joint between said bottom portion and top portion, formed in whole or in part of flexible, non-metallic, gas-tight material.

In gas holders of the general kind above referred to, commonly referred to aS dry seal gas holders, it is essential.

(a) That means be provided for protecting the above-mentioned flexible, non-metallic sealing material from the elements and for preventing snow and rain loads from collecting on the vertically-movable top portion of the gas storage chamber;

(b) That said vertically-movable top portion be of relatively great weight, so that when the gas which is to be stored is admitted to the storage chamber, the top portion of said chamber will not start to rise until a certain approximate pressure is created in the storage chamber; and

(c) That means be provided for guiding and maintaining the vertically-movable top portion of the gas storage chamber in a substantially level position when it rises and falls. Conventional dry seal gas holders comprise a tank provided with a relatively tall or high stationary side wall, a vertically-movable piston in said tank that forms the top wall of the gas storage chamber, a gas-tight sealing means between the tank side wall and the piston that provides for the rise and fall of the piston, said sealing means being formed in Whole or in part of flexible, nonmetallic, gas-tight material, and a stationary, weather roof attached to and supported by the stationary side wall of the tank and covering the entire area of said piston. A loading means formed from concrete or some other suitable heavy material is usually mounted on the piston so as to impart the desired weight to same, and a leveling mechanism. formed usually from weights and cables, is combined with the piston so as to counteract the tendency of the piston to tilt out of a substantially horizontal position when it rises and falls.

One object of my invention is to make it possible to build or construct an efiicient, dry seal gas holder at a materially lower cost than the cost of conventional dry seal gas holders.

Another object is to provide a gas storage apparatus that is composed of the following structm'es, to wit: (1) a gas-holder of the dry-seal type, and (2) a weather housing, which, in addition to encasing said dry seal gas holder and protecting the same from the elements, also functions as a leveling mechanism and weight loading means for the vertically-movable top part of the gas storage chamber of said dry seal gas holder.

And still another object of my invention is to make it possible to easily convert a conventionl wet seal gas holder into a dry seal, piston-type gas holder. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a Vertical transverse sectional view of a gas storage apparatus embodying my invention, showing the piston of the dry seal gas holder at the end of its upward stroke; and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, vertical transverse sectional view, showing said piston at the end of its downward stroke.

Briefly described, the apparatus herein illustrated which represent the preferred form of my invention, consists of (l) a dry seal gas holder whose gas storage chamber comprises a top portion that is adapted to rise and fall vertically so as to vary the volume of said storage chamber; and (2) a weather housing for said dry seal gas holder constructed in such a manner that, in addition to protecting the same from the weather and preventing rain and snow from collecting on the vertically-movable top wall of the gas storage chamber of said gas holder, it also imposes a load on said top wall portion and maintains the same in a level position when it rises and falls during the operation of filling and emptying the storage chamber of said dry seal gas holder.. The particular construction of the dry gas holder is immaterial, so long as it be of the dry seal type and comprises a gas storage chamber whose top portion rises and falls in'the operation of filling and emptying said chamber, and the particular construction of the weather housing is also immaterial, so long as it comprises an extensible and contractible side wall joined with a weather roof that is superimposed on and preferably rigidly connected to the vertically-movable top portion of the storage chamber of the dry seal gas holder.

In the preferred form of my invention herein illustrated, the dry-seal gas holder of the apparatus comprises a tank or container A having a vertical side wall whose lower half constitutes a side wall portion of the gas storage chamber of the holder. The top wall of said gas storage chamber is formed by a vertically-movable piston B combined with said tank A in such a way that when the gas storage chamber is empty, the piston B will be located inside of said tank adjacent the bottom of same, as shown in Figure 2, and when gases are admitted to said tank, the piston B will move upwardly into the piston shown in Figure 1. Any suitable type or kind of dry seal may vbe'used to'close the space or joint between the piston B and the vertical side wall of the tank A and maintain the storage chamber of the holder in a gas-tight condition during the rise and fall of the piston. The dry seal used in the apparatus herein illustrated is composed of a plurality of annular-shapedy-flexible, curtain-like sealing elements er gas tight material, and a plurality of annular-shaped abutment members, combined with each other in such a way that when the piston B is at theend of its upward stroke, said co-acting sealing elements and abutment members form a gas-tight .side wall structure that forms a continuation of the stationary side wall of the tank A and extends upwardly from same to the peripheral edge of the piston B, as shown in Figure l, and when said piston moves downwardly, said side wall structure will collapse or contract and the coacting flexible sealing elements and abutment members of which it is constructed will become arranged in telescoped or nested relation adjacent the bottom of the tank A, as shown in Figure 2. Thus, as shown in the drawings, the reference characters I, 2 and 3 designate three annular-shaped, flexible, curtain-like sealingelements, and the reference characters l and 2 designate two tubular-shaped abutment members. The sealing element I has one of its-edges attached to an intermediate portion of the stationary side wall-of the tank 'A, and the other edge of said sealing element is attached-to the lower end of the tubular abutment member 1*. The sealing element 2 is attached 2.1310116 edge to an intermediat portion of the tubular-abutment member I, and the other edge of said sealing element 2 is attached to the lower end of the tubular abutmentrmember 2 The third sealing element 3 is attached :at one :of its edges to an intermediate portion of the tubular abutment memberfi, and the other edge of said sealing element attached to the peripheral edge of the piston '13. Prefer- .ably, a third tubular abutment member 3 is rigidly attached to the top side of ithe'piston B, so as to'iorm a backstopor pressure-absorbing surface for the sealing elements whensaid piston is adjacent the bottom of the tank A. In the operation of filling the gas storage chamber of the holder, the piston risesand'the above mentioned sealing elements :and tubular abutment members moverprogressively out of nested or telescoped relation with each other, thus causing the sealing element 1 to be backed up and supported against strains by the .upper'portion of the stationary side wall of the container A, causing the sealing element 2 to be backed up by the abutment member is, and causingthe sealing element 3 to be backed up by the abutment member 2. .As hereinafter explained, means are provided for supporting the load of the abutment members i and 2 and causingsaid abutment members to rise and fall with thepiston.

The above described dryseal gas holder is arranged inside ,of r a weather housing, which pref- Verably compriseswan extensibleiand contractible.

side wall-portion, and' a weather roof that covers and is combined with the piston B of the dry seal gas holder in such a way that it maintains said piston in a level position during the rise and fall of same, and also constitutes a heavy weight or load that is imposed on said piston. Preferably, said weather housing is formed from parts of a wet seal gas holder of the bell type that have worn out or become inefficient, but as previously stated, my invention contemplates the use of any kind of a collapsible weather housing, comprising a weather roof that can be mounted on or supported by the vertically-movable top portion of the gas storage chamber of the dry seal gas holder. In the drawings the reference character 0 designates the weather roof of the weather housing of my apparatus,

and D, D and D designate three cylindrical metal shells, combined with each other and with said roof in such a manner that they constitute a collapsible or extensible and contractible side wall .portion for said housing. The bell of a worn out or discarded conventional wet seal gas holder is preferably used to constitute the weather roof C, and the water tank and telescoping lifts of said worn out wet seal holder are used to constitute the previously mentioned cylindrical shells D, 'D' and D The roof C is arranged above the piston B of .the dry seal gas holder in spaced relation with the same, and the shells D, D' and D are arranged in concentric relation with each other and in concentric relation with the skirit or side wall portion of the bell-shaped roof 7C. As shown in the drawings, upwardly-projecting,.rigid posts 4 on the top side of the piston B supportthe roof C at a level above said piston approximatelyequal to the depth of the skirtor side wall portion of the bell shaped roof C. .S-aid posts can either be rigidly attached to the piston B androof'C, or said posts can'be carried by the piston and held in engagement with the roof C by the weight of said roof and the upward force the piston exerts on the roof, through the posts '4, when said piston is in'normal use. The skirt portion of the bell shaped roof C and the shells D and D are-provided with co-acting coupling devices 5, 5 which are so constructed and arranged that-during th upward movement of the piston B of the dry seal gas holder from the position shown in Figure 2, the skirt portion of the roof C willpick up the shel1 D and cause the same to start to rise, and thereafter the'shell D will pick up the shell D and move the same upwardly into the position shown in Figure 1. During the downward stroke of the piston B, the shell D will move into telescoped relation with the stationary bottom shell'D,'then the shellD will move into telescoped'relation with'the shell D, and finally, the skirt portion of the roof C will move into telescoped relation with the shell D The previously mentioned means that is used to sustain the abutment members I and 2 ofthe gas holder is herein illustrated as consisting of a group of chains 6 or equivalent flexible elements attached to the abutment member l and'to theskirtof the bell shaped roof C, and a groupofchains? attachedto the abutment member 2 and to the top portion of the bell shaped roof C, as shown clearly iniFigure 1,

said chains 6 and "1 being sodisposed that they do not interfere with the telescoping actionof the abutmentmembers and the skirt portion of the bell shaped roof C during the downward stroke of the piston 13.

In order to effectively hold the piston B of the dry seal gas holder in a level position during the rise and fall of said piston, the vertically-movable roof portion C of the weather housing, which, as previously stated, is attached to or maintained in substantially fixed relation with said piston, is provided at its periphery with laterally-projecting arms 3 equipped with rollers i that bear against at their upper ends vertically-disposed guides It, which form part of a stationary guide frame that surrounds the weather housing, as shown in Figure l. The side wall shells D and D of said weather housing are also provided with similar iaterally-projecting arms 3 equipped with rollers 9 that act on the vertical guides it, and at the lower end of the shell D are guide rollers 9 which bear against the inner side of the stationary bottom shell D of the weather housing.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that my invention effects a considerable saving in the cost of constructing a dry seal gas holder.

(1) In that it contemplates using a verticallymovable weather roof to maintain the piston or equivalent part of a dry seal gas holder in a level position, and also add weight to same; and

(2) It enables the bell and telescoped lifts of a conventional wet seal gas holder that has worn out or become ineificient, to be utilized as a weather housing for a dry seal gas holder and also as a leveling means and weight load for the piston of said dry seal gas holder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A gas storage apparatus, consisting of a dry seal gas holder having a gas storage chamber that comprises a vertically-movable top portion which is adapted to rise and fall so as to vary the volume of said storage chamber, a weather housing encasing said gas holder and provided with a vertically movable weather roof that covers the said vertically-movable top portion of said dry seal gas holder, and a connecting means which maintains a fixed distance between said weather roof and the verticallymovable top portion of said storage chamber and causes the weight or load of said weather roof to be imposed on said vertically movable top portion.

2. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 1, provided with a mechanism that co-acts with said weather roof to maintain the movable topportion of said dry seal gas holder in a substantially level position when said top portion rises and falls.

3. A gas storage apparatus, comprising a container, a vertically-movable piston in said container that form the top wall of a gas storage chamber, a sealing means bridging the space between the piston and the side wall of the container and comprising a flexible, curtain-like, gas-tight sealing element, a vertically movable weather roof arranged above said piston, means interposed between said piston and weather roof for supporting said roof by said piston and maintaining a fixed distance between the weather roof and the piston, and a means for holding said weather roof in a substantially level position during the rise and fall of said piston.

l. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 8, provided with a tubular abutment member for said curtain-like sealing element, disposed in such relationship with same as to back up said sealing element and absorb pressure exerted on said sealing element by the gases in the gas storage chamber, and means for suspending said abutment member from said weather roof.

5. A gas storage apparatus, consisting of a dry seal gas holder provided with a vertically-movable piston, a vertically movable weather roof arranged above said piston, means interposed between said roof and piston for holding said roof in substantially fixed relation with said piston at a certain distance above the piston and for causing the weight of said weather roof to be imposed on the piston, a collapsible side wall structure surrounding said dry seal gas holder and comprising telescoped cylindrical portions, and means for connecting said side wall structure to said weather roof so that when said roof rises, due to upward movement of the piston of the gas holder, said side wall structure will elongate, and when said piston moves downwardly said side wall structure will contract.

6. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 5, provided with stationary, vertically-disposed guides on the exterior of said side wall structure, and laterally-projecting devices on said weather roof and on the telescoped portions of said side wall structure, that bear against said guides and maintain said roof and telescoped side wall portions level during the rise and fall of the piston of the gas holder.

7. The combination of a dry seal gas holder provided with a vertically-movable piston, a weather housing for said gas holder comprising the bell of a wet seal holder arranged so as to form a weather roof that completely covers the piston of said dry seal gas holder, and supports for said bell mounted on the piston of said dry seal holder so as to maintain a fixed distance between the piston and bell and cause the bell to move vertically with the piston.

8. An apparatus of the kind described in claim 7, in which said weather housing also comprises a collapsible side wall structure suspended from said bell and formed from the telescoping lifts of a wet seal gas holder.

JOHN W. ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,340,831 Brinkman Feb. 1, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 573,423 Germany Mar. 31, 1933 

1. A GAS STORAGE APPARATUS, CONSISTING OF A ARY SEAL GAS HOLDER HAVING A GAS STORAGE CHAMBER THAT COMPRISING A VERTICALLY-MOVABLE TOP PORTION WHICH IS ADAPTED TO RISE AND FALL SO AS TO VARY THE VOLUME OF SAID STORAGE CHAMBER, A WEATHER HOUSING ENCASING SAID GAS HOLDER AND PROVIDED WITH A VERTICALLY MOVABLE WEATHER ROOF THAT COVERS THE SAID VERTICALLY-MOVABLE TOP PORTION OF SAID DRY SEAL GAS HOLDER, AND A CONNECTING MEANS WHICH MAINTAINS A FIXED DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID WEATHER ROOF AND THE VERTICALLYMOVABLE TOP PORTION OF SAID STORAGE CHAMBER AND CAUSES THE WEIGHT OR LOAD OF SAID WEATHER ROOF TO BE IMPOSED ON SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE TOP PORTION. 